Gervonta “Tank” Davis is one of the world’s leading fighters and former Golden Boy matchmaker Roberto Diaz knows that. 

Diaz advises WBA junior lightweight Lamont Roach Jnr, who will take on WBA lightweight titleholder Davis on Saturday in a pay-per-view main event at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn, New York.

Although a lot of fans find it frustrating that Roach makes the second junior lightweight opponent whom Davis will have fought in his past four fights while holding a lightweight title, Diaz has nothing but praise for Davis. “Tank” has built a reputation as one of the most fearsome punchers of his generation, with an undefeated record (30-0, 28 KOs) that reflects that power.

“It's the toughest fight that you can pick out there for any young man,” Diaz, now president of Sheer Sports, told BoxingScene. “Tank is all that and more. He's proving it. Boxing fans are never happy. They're always critical. ‘He's fighting little guys.’ ‘He hasn't fought nobody.’ ‘He hasn't fought this guy yet.’ But he's fought everybody who has been put in front of him and he's done what he's supposed to do. And regardless of where people think he's at this moment, the kid is all that. He has an IQ. He has power. He reminds me a lot of a little Mike Tyson. The kid is that good.”

At the same time, Diaz, known for building many of the modern stars in boxing from the ground up – most notably Saul “Canelo” Alvarez – also likes the matchup for Roach.

“Roach has fought all the different styles,” Diaz said. “You watch his fight against Rene Alvarado, who gave everybody trouble. Rene has a lot of losses. A lot of those losses could easily be wins, and Lamont truly totally outclassed him. Lamont has fought a lot of styles. He has the amateur pedigree. The kid has come to a point where he has the experience. He has the hunger. This is his opportunity, and people are not giving them that. They're writing them off – ‘It's an easy fight,’ whatever. That's where the pressure is not on him and the pressure is all over and on Tank.”

Diaz also noted that he doesn’t see Davis as a big lightweight, as he pushed back on the notion that some suggest that Davis is fighting another smaller fighter.

“Tank just weighed 133 in his last fight, against [Frank] Martin,” Diaz said. “He's not that big if you're 135lbs. All the fighters hit 135, 134 and a half, but not 133. So he's not a big lightweight to begin with. Lamont’s mentality is saying, ‘I am going to win.’ They know each other very well. They have sparred each other many times, many rounds. They fought each other in the amateurs. Obviously, it's a different ball game now, but just as Tank has grown and become a better fighter, so has Lamont.”

Although the 29-year-old Roach, 25-1-1 (10 KOs), holds a title, much of his career was spent being featured on undercards, or even TV openers. When Roach defeated Hector Luis Garcia to win his title in 2023, the fight was the pay-per-view opener for David Benavidez-Demetrius Andrade.

But regardless what the fans think, Diaz knows that Davis’ team is fully aware of Roach’s capabilities.

“Tank and his team know exactly who Lamont is,” Diaz said. “They both know each other very well. They know how good they are – but that's what tells you how good Lamont is. Tank hasn't been as talkative. I'm sure we'll pick it up this week because the fighters are ready to fight at this point, after long camps. But if you've noticed, compared to others, there hasn't been that back-and-forth from Tank’s side.”

Lucas Ketelle is the author of “Inside the Ropes of Boxing,” a guide for young fighters, a writer for BoxingScene and a member of the Boxing Writers Association of America.